"Is it heavier than a diamond?" asked Rarity
"Yes." replied Twilight from the neighboring room, "Two questions left."
"Oh dear, is it... made of plastic?" she asked ponderously.
"Nope. Last question"
"Let's see... is the autumn leaf dress that I made for my exclusive "Seasons" collection?"
"It's a wagon wheel."
"Well phooey, looks like I've been stumped again." said Rarity with mock-resignation. The two giggled, but were interrupted by Rainbow Dash pounding on the wall.
"Seriously Rainbow?" shouted Twilight, "we've tried to accommodate your sleep schedule, but you've been sleeping for 12 hours straight now!"
"So what? she called back, "who's gonna stop me?"
"Fine, mope all you want, but Rarity and I are going to try and keep our spirits up. Who knows, we might figure a way out of this mess."
"I can't fly, and I can't fight. What's the point of doing anything anymore? I got nothing left."
"Oh really? I have a theory."
"Not in the mood for egghead stuff, Twilight."
Ignoring Rainbow Dash, she continued, "a theory that even without your flight, you're still the same brave, dependable, loyal pony who's saved Equestria too many times to count and never backed down from a challenge!"
Rainbow Dash paused as the gears turned in her head. Slowly she rolled out of bed and picked herself up off the floor. "YEAH!" she declared, "That's right, I'm still Rainbow Dash, and I'm still AWESOME!!!" She lifted off the ground and started flying laps around her room, laughing with joy, the fire in her heart reignited. "Hey Twilight, thanks for the pep talk. I needed it."
"Anytime."
"Speckle, time for another session with the boss." Twilight's thoughts were interrupted by a loud knocking from Sylvia, the peon from yesterday, again standing outside with her two Sealeos..
"Don't you think that's a little excessive?" quipped Twilight
"Just walk." she replied brusquely.
*
"Twilight, hello." said Dr. Marie amiably.
"I'm not apologizing for besmirching Team Aqua, if that's what you're expecting" she replied resolutely.
"We sent a search party out for your friends. I'm sorry, they swept the entire island, but didn't find anything."
"Good! Because if your thugs had laid so much as a finger on them, I'd..."
"I thought we could talk about this game you were working on," cut in the doctor, "it seemed like you wanted to share it with me. You mentioned that you used 'magic.' I'd love to see a demonstration."
"I told you already, I lost my magic when I crossed over into this world."
"All of it?" Dr. Marie adjusted her glasses
"All of it." lied Twilight. The doctor remained silent for several uncomfortable seconds, then said finally,
"I'm sorry to hear that. It must be difficult to adjust. That's all for today, you are excused." Sylvia once again lead Twilight back to her room. They passed by a man in Aqua garb carrying the three ponies' saddlebags and Pokeballs. He stopped at a wall safe and began working away at the lock. Twilight tried to surreptitiously slow down her pace & look over his shoulder to catch the combination,
"Keep moving" ordered Sylvia, one of her Sealeo giving Twilight a helpful shove in the right direction. Sylvia locked Twilight in her room and left.
"Can you guys see any guards out there?" asked Twilight
"All clear my side" replied Dash
"and mine" said Rarity.
"Good. Because we might be in trouble."
"Did something go wrong in your session?" asked Rarity.
"I've been trying to convince her that I don't have enough magic to pose a threat. I sold it a little too hard today, and I think she's getting suspicious. She thinks I do have the power to make that island disappear, and she's not going to let us go until I do."
"So what's the plan?" asked Dash
"We escape!"
"Aw yeah! That's my kinda plan!"
"Keep your voice down, Rainbow" hissed Rarity, "I'm all for a permanent holiday from this dingy motel, but won't it be a while before we land, Twilight?"
"We're not waiting until we land."
"But, then how do we..." Rarity's face paled as she connected the dots, "No no nonononononononono I've had enough falling from the sky for one lifetime." She tried desperately to repress the memory.
"Rainbow, you can still fly, right?"
"You know it!"
"Then there's nothing to worry about Rarity. Rainbow will catch the two of us, and guide us safely to the ground."
"You've lost your flight, then?"
"That I have. Anyway, Rainbow, your Happiny is very important to the plan. I need you to have the utmost trust in her. Can you do that for me?"
"Well, if you think my Pokemon's all that special, then it must have something good going for it. Ok, I trust you, so I trust her too."
"Great. The next time a guard comes around the corner, it's go time." In a hushed voice, Twilight began to lay out the details.
*****
"Land ho!!!" cried Pinkie Pie, pointing at the rapidly-approaching shoreline. The three ponies braced for impact, but the ship slowed itself to a gentle stop as it ran aground. They hopped off the boat and surveyed their surroundings.
"Welcome ta Pallet Town. Shades of yer journey await" read Applejack from a nearby signpost.
"What a cute little town!" squealed Fluttershy, taking in the unspoiled nature - the rivers, trees, and hills still held the majority share of the landscape, with the houses as just a secondary mention. People passed by, giving odd glances and occasionally a friendly wave, which Pinkie was quick to reciprocate.
"So uh, where to now?" asked Applejack.
"I guess we could try Professor Oak" replied Fluttershy, "he's one of the first people the player talks to, and he's considered the expert on Pokemon."
"Oak?" asked Pinkie quizzically, "I thought you said he was an expert on Pokemon, not trees."
"Well, um.. I don't know, I guess maybe he-"
"T'aint important" cut in Applejack, "I dun care if his name's Cinnamon Applesauce, s'long as he can help us. Take us to 'im Fluttershy."
*
Professor Oak's lab was an imposing hilltop structure. While small by urban standards, it was the only three-story building in town, and the windmill set into the roof gave it the appearance of being even taller. Confidently, Applejack tapped on the door. A grey haired man in a white lab coat answered the door,
'
"Hello there, what can I do for you to-" He cut himself off mid-sentence as he gazed bewildered at the three strange creatures before them.
"Well howdy there professor, Fluttershy's told us all about ya!"
"And your tree collection" added Pinkie.
"You're not... Pokemon, are you?" inquired the professor.
"Nope, just three average run-o'-th' mill ponies."
"Fascinating. There are rumors of sentient creatures that are neither people nor Pokemon, but I've not found one in all my years of research. Please, tell me everything about yourselves. Where did you come from? How did you get here? How did you learn to talk... oh where are my manners, please come in! Let us move our conversation to somewhere more comfortable." He led them down the hallway past room after room of complex-looking machinery and rows upon rows of bookshelves stuffed to the gills. Finally they ended up in his living room. He motioned for them to take a seat on the sofa.
"We haven't properly introduced ourselves, have we? My name is Professor Samuel Oak, I'm a Pokemon researcher."
"Twilight's told us all 'bout you. Said you were th' smartest guy in yer world. You two'd prolly get along really well, actually, she's pretty close to the smartest pony in ours! Ah'm Applejack by the way. Ah ran an apple orchard back home."
"And I'm Pinkie Pie. When it comes to partying, I'm number one! I just loove candy and cake and throwing parties, and going to parties - that counts as two different things, right? And, and... we're out of tea biscuits." She pointed to the plate of crumbs on the table, where a sizable amount of wafers had been a moment ago.
"And your friend here... does she talk too?" asked Oak, looking to Fluttershy, who was staring down at her knees and fidgeting nervously.
"mynamesflutterhsy" she replied.
"She's jus' a li'l shy" said Applejack helpfully, "but she's actually th' smartest outta th' three of us when it comes ta Pokemon. Been a real big help." Fluttershy blushed.
"So you've learnt about Pokemon, then?"
"Learnt? We caught 'em!" She took her Pokeball out of her bag and sent out Maractus, who planted itself next to her on the couch. The other two followed suit
"Remarkable!" exclaimed the professor, "a whole new species of sentient life training Pokemon in parallel with us humans. How long has your society existed?"
"Thousands a' years in Equestria. But Twilight reckons we're th' first of our kind here. An' we only been here about two days."
"Equestria, is that where you're from? Can't say I've ever heard of it."
"Twilight said it's a whole 'nother world or somethin'. Like we can't get there from here by walkin' or flyin', we gotta open up some kinda magic portal. We dunno how we got here, only that Twilight was workin' on a game, and her magic did somethin' weird."
"This Twilight sounds like a fascinating young lady. I'd love to meet her, where is she?" His question was answered with three despondent faces.
"We got serperated from 'er back on th' island," said Applejack ruefully, "there was six of us in all, an' we don' know where th' other three've gotten to.
"That is unfortunate" Oak replied sympathetically, "what are you going to do now."
"We're gonna go on an adventure!" declared Pinkie PIe.
"We're gonna find our friends an' get out of here." corrected Applejack.
"Actually, your friend may be right" suggested Oak, "what better way to come up with an exit plan than to familiarize yourself with your environment? Might I suggest the Gym Challenge?"
"An' just how do we go about this Gym Challenge?"
"Wellll" began the professor with a twinkle in his eye. It was clear he loved giving this lecture. They spent the rest of the day discussing Pokemon, ponies, and swapping anecdotes.
"You three are free to crash on my couch for the night." he offered.
"Oh my no... we couldn't impose on you like that." insisted
"Nonsense. Part of my job is to provide guidance & aid to new trainers. You three fit the bill, and the needs. I'll give you some supplies, and you'll be ready for your journey no time."
*****
"Oh guaaaaaaaaaaaaaard~" called Rarity in a syrupy sweet tone. Quizzically, he came over to her door. "Could you pretty pleeeeease spare some chapstick? My lips are soooo very dry."
"This isn't a beauty salon." he began to walk away shaking his head.
"Wait!" called out Rarity, "I can make it worth your while. Did they tell you what was in my saddlebag?"
"No, why?"
"There's a mountain of gems in there! Why don't you just take whatever you think is a fair compensation."
"All right little lady, you got yourself a deal." He hurriedly opened the wallsafe and unclasped the diamond-emblazoned saddlebag. Whistling gleefully to himself, he began scooping out handfuls of colorful stones and stuffing his pockets.
"What a greedy uncultured swine" murmured Rarity, "Twilight, do it now."
Twilight's horn began to glow as she stared intently at the three Pokeballs. Slowly but surely, she rolled them out of the safe, causing them to open as they hit the floor. "Misdraevus, Hypnosis!" Misdraevus locked eyes with the Aqua peon, and emitted a psychedelic blue aura. His eyes glazed over and he slowly collapsed to the ground.
"Sableye, get his key!" ordered Rarity. Sableye furiously searched through the man's pockets until he came upon a set of keys on a ring. He hurriedly grabbed them and unlocked the three ponies' doors, their respective Pokemon sidling up to them affectionately.
"Happiny, I know we haven't had a lot of bonding time" said Dash, "but I could really use your help now. Will you fight with me?"
"Happiny!" She curled her nubs into fists and gave Rainbow a determined smile & nod. Rainbow patted her on the head,
"You're all right, you know that?"
"Misdraevus, stop him!" cried Twilight. The guard, who was rapidly fading into slumber, had summoned just enough strength to move his hand towards a red alarm button. Before Misdraevus could react, he connected.
Red lights began flashing and a klaxon sounded. From the upper decks they heard the clamorous pounding of Team Aqua boots. Twilight tossed her friends their saddlebags and secured her own. "Rarity, we have to go now!" she shouted at her friend, who was hurriedly trying to pick up the gems scattered on the floor. Rarity balked at the loss of valuables, but common sense prevailed, and she allowed herself to abandon them. With their Pokemon on their back, the ponies galloped with all their might towards the entry dock.
"Spheal, Icy Wind!" shouted a voice behind them
"Misdreavus, Confuse Ray!" responded Twilight instantly. They heard the sounds of a cold winter breeze and guards crying out and shivering.
"Get out of the way, you idiots!" shouted Sylvia, shoving her way through the line of dazed grunts and Pokemon, "Sealeo, Ice Ball!" Her Sealeo began launching chunks of ice in incrementally larger sizes.
"Sableye, use Fury Swipes!" said Rarity. Sableye leapt into the air, meeting each ice ball head-on and slicing it up with his sharp claws. Finally, the trio came to the doorway that separated them from the entry bay. Two more grunts stood in their way, but they kept their pace up.
"Happiny, use Pound!" said Dash. Happiny springboarded off Dash's back and flew at the guards, knocking them right over. They lay on the ground winded, allowing the trio to plow through.
"Freeze! You're surrounded!" As the three ponies entered the room, they saw that indeed, no less than two dozen crew members had anticipated them coming this way and blocked off every exit... except one. Just as planned, the three pressed themselves up against the hatch door.
"Recall your Pokemon and put your hands where I can see them!" ordered Sylvia, "You've got ten seconds before I have my Sealeo's turn you into popsicles!"
"I don't think so!" Dash yelled back defiantly, "You take even one step closer, and I'll have my little friend here bust down the door!" Sylvia recoiled in shock,
"Y-you wouldn't!"
"Wanna bet your life on it? Now get BACK!"
Dr. Marie emerged from the crowd, "Rainbow, I can see you're very upset, but violence won't get you what you want. Tell you what, let's all four of us go back to my office, I'll get us some pizza and sodas, and I just know we can work this out."
"Sorry doc, not today. Happiny, use RETURN!" Happiny charged into the door headlong, smashing it off its hinges. The sudden change in air pressure snatched up the ponies, sending them hurtling out of the plane and into the open air.
*****
"State your names please" requested Spike.
"Spike, ya know our names" pointed out Applebloom.
"It's the stenographer's records." He pointed over his shoulder at Angel Bunny, who was furiously pecking away at a typewriter.
"Er alright then. Applebloom."
"Sweetie Belle."
"Scootaloo. And what's a stone-auguster?"
"The stenographer is the mare in the courtroom who types up everything that everypony says" explained Sweetie Belle.
"Cool! Are we on trial?" wondered Scootaloo
"Cutie Mark Criminals yay!!!" exclaimed the three in unison.
"Girls, please can we talk about the whereabouts of our friends?"
"Ah have a suspect!" piped up Applebloom.
"Yes?"
"It's you." she said, looking quite satisfied with herself, "that pipe n' hat ya got there, those're Pinkie Pie's things ain't they?"
"Very suspicious if you ask me" chimed in Sweetie Belle
"Just what were you doing on the night they disappeared?" asked Scootaloo with a leery eye.
"I'LL ASK THE QUESTIONS AROUND HERE!" shouted Spike. The Cutie Mark Crusaders jumped with a start. Spike softened his expression, "Girls, just tell me, why aren't you taking this more seriously? This is your sister, and your sister, and a pony who's just like a sister to you."
"I... I don't know" said Sweetie Belle, "when she didn't come home, I fed her Opal for her, but I didn't think anything else of it. She didn't scratch or claw at me, even once, it was really weird."
"And ah was gonna take Winona fer a walk, but she didn't wanna go. She just wanted ta lay around on her rug." added Applebloom.
"That is strange" agreed Spike, "but I need something bigger. Something like a ransom note, or a mysterious coach stopping by your house."
"Sorry, Spike, can't think o' nothin' of th' sort."
"Well, thanks anyways."
"Does that mean we can go now?" asked Scootaloo, "no offense, but when I agreed to play detectives, I didn't think it'd be this boring."
"I suppose" said Spike deflated. The three fillies saw themselves out, leaving Spike alone in the room with Angel. "Alright, let's see what you got."
The bunny ripped the page off the typewriter and handed it to Spike. His eyes skimmed through the page, "What the... these aren't even words! Angel, I suppose I should've asked this before, but you don't know how to write, do you?"
Angel shrugged nonchalantly. Spike leaned against a bookshelf and slumped over. He looked up at the ceiling, and happened to see Owliscious perched on a rafter. "Hey Oluiscious, ask me who."
The barn owl said nothing.
"Huh." said Spike. He felt a tapping against his leg, and looked to his side to see Angel Bunny holding a quill & inkwell and a sheet of vellum paper. "You want me to write the princess?" he asked.
Angel nodded.
"What's the point? She'll just tell me to stop worrying like everypony else." Angel pushed the items into his arms.
"Fine, I suppose it's worth a try." He dipped the quill into the inkwell and cleared his throat, "Dear Princess Celestia, Spike here. I'm doing my best to be a mature, independent dragon and work out problems on my own, but I'm really really worried about something and I don't know who else to turn to..."
*
"it's been a day and a half, and I'm scared. Your faithful student's number one assistant, Spike." Princess Celestia looked up from the letter, visibly perturbed. She rolled the scroll up neatly with her magic.
"Guard" she commanded to the present footman, "summon Captain Shining Armor to the throne room. It's urgent."
"Right away, your highness."